Mystery Babylon: Who Is This Harlot Of Revelation?
By admin On January 8th, 2011
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MYSTERY BABYLON:
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THE HARLOT OF
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REVELATION 17
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“I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast…And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” Revelation 17:3-5
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THE TWO WOMEN OF SCRIPTURE
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Throughout Scripture there is a common thread found, beginning in Genesis, and running all the way through to Revelation. It is the story of two women: one good and one evil. And many people are perplexed as to just what and who these two women represent.
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Perhaps the best way to explore this subject, is merely to look at some of the various places these two women are found. And in so doing, we might better understand just what these two women are all about.
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THE PLEIADES IS A
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CONSTELLATION OF
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THE HARLOT OF REVELATION
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As of January, 2013, it appears that the tail of the Revelation 12 Dragon is the Harlot of Revelation. This is the star-cluster known as the Pleiades. Now this cluster is actually a constellation which is roughly in the shape of this woman. The red star in her mid section is the cup of wine spoken of in Revelation. Here is a picture of the Pleiades Constellation.
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“GREAT SIGN IN HEAVEN…A WOMAN”
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“And there appeared a great sign in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:” Revelation 12:1
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The Apostle John was shown a “great wonder in heaven, a woman…”. This sign which John saw was a picture of the Church, which, by the way, God often referred to as a woman. Galatians speaks about the “Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.” Galatians 4:26. Paul also made this statement to the Church at Corinth… “for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” 1st Cor. 11:2. So this concept of a woman representing the Church (both the Old & New Testament Church) is a very well established Biblical concept.
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But God has likewise written this very same concept in the heavens. God said… “Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above…Hear ye now, O house of David…Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:11-14 (condensed). Now why did God say to ask for a sign in the depth or in the height above? One very good reason is that this sign of a virgin with child was fulfilled down here on earth, with Mary and Jesus. This would be that sign “in the depth”. But what sign is given in the height above?
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Nativity www.wikigallery.com by Giulio Romano (Orbetto)
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“A SIGN OF THE LORD…IN THE HEIGHT ABOVE”
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Well, God has created a constellation of a woman with child in the height above. You see, in the summer this Revelation 12 Woma n Constellation appears as a woman with child. But this same constellation in the winter flips upside down and now appears as a fleeing woman with wings as an eagle. This woman represents the Church-Faithful. She symbolizes the five wise virgins in that famous Matthew 25 parable. This concept also is picked up in Revelation Chapter 12… “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:” Revelation 12:1.
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Now if you would like to explore more about this Virtuous Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation, just click here… “Woman of Revelation 12 (Woman in Travail)”
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And so with this basic understanding, it is time to discuss the other woman of Revelation. The adulterous woman…
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EVE, THE 1ST ADULTEROUS WOMAN
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“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Gen. 3:6
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Even in the garden of Eden, when Eve decided to commit spiritual adultery by eating the forbidden fruit, did this theme begin. Eve no longer was the virtuous woman she was created to be. And so began Man’s woes upon Earth..
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Eve Tizian_eve-wikipedia-pub-dom
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ABRAHAM, SARAH, AND HAGAR
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SARAH AND HAGAR… The ‘two woman’ theme shows up with Sarah and Hagar in the Book of Genesis. Sarah, the legitimate wife of Abraham, and Hagar, the Egyptian hand-maid, who was thrust into a cursed relationship with Abraham. While Hagar may have been an innocent ‘pawn’ in this faithless scheme to produce a child for Abraham, Hagar was nevertheless an Egyptian. And Revelation 11:8 exposes Egypt as a spiritual representation of Jerusalem. So Hagar is the symbol of the apostate portion of God’s people. This will be further discussed a little down the page. So in this story of Sarah and Hagar, the Lord is establishing this concept of the two women of Scripture.
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Hagar- Wikipedia public domain
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SAMSON & DELILAH
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What about Delilah, who betrayed Samson? Was she a picture of the Harlot Woman of R evelation?
Very much so. Sadly, the story of Samson has a striking parallel to the God’s people. Just as Samson loved strange women, so too, God’s people have united with the world many times and in many ways.
“Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because you suffer that woman Jezebel, which calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.” Rev. 2:20. This particular passage is just one of many which show God’s disapproval of His Church accepting doctrines which compromise the Church with the world. As a result, the Church has lost her power, just as did Samson, after Delilah cut his hair.
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Dore Samson And Delilah from creationism.org public domain
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RUTH AND ORPHAH
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RUTH AND ORPAH…Likewise, the story of Ruth and Orpah is a picture of a ‘virtuous woman’ and a ‘not-so-virtuous woman’. Ruth, the heroine of this story, decides to stay with Naomi (her widowed Israelite mother-in-law), and Orpah returns to her pagan people. Of course, this story has everything to do with those who choose to serve God and those who turn back from following God, to return to the idols of the world.
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Naomi entreating Ruth and Orpah to return to the land of Moab by William Blake, 1795
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WHAT IS THE BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
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THE ADULTERESS & THE FAITHFUL WOMAN
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We all sin, don’t we? Well then, why is this Adulteress any different than any Believer? Is there any one quality of this “adulterous woman” which makes her different from the true worshippers of God?”
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Yes there is one quality that distinguishes the Adulterous Church from the Church-Faithful: an unrepentant heart. Listen… “Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eats, and wipes her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. ” Proverbs 30:20. This seems to be the difference between the Believer and those known as “false brethren”. A true Christian may sin, but will be filled with sorrow and repentance. There will be seen a genuine consternation over the matter of failing to be Christlike in every way. The false brethren, however, cannot and will not know such a sorrow for sin. There can be no careful desire to walk in holiness, within the worldly Christian’s heart. They simply have not received the “new heart” required for such heartfelt remorse over sin.
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Here is the attitude of a child of God. Listen to Ezra here... “And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.” Ezra 9:6.
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Now listen to God’s assessment of His defiant people… “and you hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.” Jeremiah 3:3. Compare the two attitudes found here in these previous two verses. Quite a big difference between the two groups, wouldn’t you say?
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Tissot The Harlot of Jericho and the Two Spies Wikipedia public domain
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LIVING AFTER THE FLESH
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“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:13, 14
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This above passage from Paul’s writings makes a clear distinction between the two portions of God’s house: those who live after the flesh, and those who are not content to continue in the flesh, but strive to overcome the flesh.
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Now if you go into any church, there is one thing that everyone has in common: for the most part, everyone professes to love God. But Jesus exposes that there are many who claim allegence to God, but inwardly they are far from Him. Listen… “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” Matt. 15:8
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Paul-the-Apostle-Artist-Valentin-de-Boulogne-or-Nicolas-Tournier-circa-1500s-wikipedia-public-domain.jpg
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JUST ASK SOLOMON ABOUT WOMEN
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King Solomon, the wisest mortal man who ever lived, also became the biggest fool who ever lived. And as you probably guessed, it was a woman who made him into that fool…actually it was a thousand women to be exact! In his younger years, Solomon wrote many proverbs: even proverbs about the Virtuous Woman and proverbs about the Adulterous Woman. And though these proverbs were instructive in the everyday world, they, like the rest of the Book of Proverbs, had a dual application concerning the Church: the faithful Church and the apostate Church.
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If only Solomon had followed his own advice. But God did not chasten Solomon as He did to Solomon’s father, David. God severely chastened David, time after time after time. But for some reason, Scripture makes no mention of Solomon being chastened this way. And so Solomon began multiplying wives, until he ended up with 700 wives and 300 concubines (breeders). Extremely selfish, to say the least.
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And because so many of these wives were from pagan cultures, they began to urge Solomon to accommodate their idols. And as Solomon grew old, he eventually joined in their idolatry, presenting such a bad example to his nation. And all Israel quickly joined Solomon in pagan worship
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The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon’, by Edward Poynter, 1890, Art Gallery of New South Wales US public domain
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THE VIRTUOUS WOMAN
(see Proverbs 31:10-31)
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Who is the virtuous woman?
Proverbs deals heavily on the subject of the adulteress as well as the virtuous woman. Just listen… “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband…” Proverbs 12:4. Among the many proverbs which Solomon spoke, concerning women, none stands out as does Chapter 31:10-31 in which the Bible speaks of the Virtuous Woman. Proverbs 31:10-31 is devoted to a long description of just what is a virtuous woman. “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies…” Proverbs 31:10. And this wonderful chapter goes on and on in describing this virtuous woman. (If you wish to read the entire passage, just click here… Proverbs 31:10-31
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Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld- Ruth in Field of Boaz-Wikipedia public domain
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QUEENS ESTHER & VASHTI
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“On the seventh day, when the…king…commanded…To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to show the people and the princes her beauty…But the queen Vashti re fused to come at the king’s commandment…And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day…and so will I (Esther) go in unto the king, which [is] not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. 4:17 ” Esther 1:10-12, 4:16 (condensed)
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The above passage is an extremely abbreviated description of the big problem found in Esther. Vashti disobeyed the king. Esther was chosen to replace her. And Esther went uninvited into the king’s throne room, to plead for the doomed Jews.
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Proverbs Chapter 3 1 dovetails nicely with the story of Esther (picture on left), the virtuous queen. In this same story there also was queen Vashti, being a picture of the UN-virtuous woman (picture above right). Again this story is the contrast of the Church-Faithful & the Church-Unfaithful. It is also the story of today’s Church as we are called to enter the Most Holy Place with Christ. And just as Esther fearfully (but not presumptuously) entered the king’s Throne-Room, so too must God’s Elect enter with trembling, God’s Throne-Room by faith, to plead for God’s people.
And how do we accomplish this? Well, that is what www.theheavensdeclare.net is all about. For a good start in comprehending this big subject, you can go to such articles as… “The Revelation 12 Woman & The Narrow Way”.
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Queen Vashti deposed 1890 by Normand Ernest wikimedia US public domain
Esther by Léon Benouville Odaliske 1844 wikipedia US public domain
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THE PROPHETS SPEAK OF THESE TWO WOMEN
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In the section of the Bible, commonly referred to as the “major and minor prophets”, these two women are repeatedly spoken of. Here is a quick thumbnail of some of the two women in the “Prophets”.
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ISAIAH
Isaiah speaks of “Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon…thy nakedness shall be uncovered….I will take vengeance…As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 47:1, 3, 4. One reason we know that this is speaking of the Church is that God calls this woman a “virgin daughter”. “Virgin daughter” is code lingo for “God’s people”. This and other passages give overwhelming evidence that the Harlot City of Revelation is speaking of the Church-Apostate.
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JEREMIAH
Jeremiah also speaks of her… “How is the faithful city become an harlot” Jeremiah 1:21. Jeremiah speaks of Jerusalem as a harlot. And Paul revealed to the Church that there is a “Jerusalem which is now, and is in bondage with her children”. So we must never get the idea the